


Build a Bear

by ZaliaChimera



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Shopping, Cute, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, No Apocalypse, Shopping, Stuffed Toys, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 18:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1084192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaliaChimera/pseuds/ZaliaChimera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'an AU where nothing bad happens to any character ever and everyone just goes to build a bear and builds bears and everyone is happy'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Build a Bear

"Oh my god, they have an Iron Man bear!” Sam gave a gleeful whoop and grabbed the bear, heading over to the stuffing machine with all the enthusiasm of a five year old like the ones they were supposed to be buying for.

"Well, I think we've lost Sam for the rest of the day," Maxine said dryly, turning to her girlfriend with an amused smile..

Paula took her hand, twining their fingers together. “Well, can you blame him? They are very cute.”

Maxine hummed softly, leaning in to rub her cold nose against Paula’s cheek, laughing when Paula gave a cute little squeak.

Someone cleared their throat. “Excuse me,” Janine said, her arms folded over her chest, a long list clenched in one hand, “but we do have a lot of ground to cover. After here, we have to buy Christmas cards, and then we have forty-five minutes for lunch, but it will take us at least ten minutes to actually get the food with these crowds and then…”

Maxine sighed. “Janine, calm down.”

"How can I calm down when the very spirit of Christmas is on the line here!" she protested.

She jumped when Simon wrapped an arm around her shoulders from behind. “I told you not to drink that last espresso, Jenny,” he said with typical good humour. He, at least, seemed to have truly embraced the Christmas spirit, right down to the green knitted Christmas tree on the front of his sweater. 

"I told you we should have come earlier, Simon," Janine replied when he tugged the list from her fingers. "We’re never going to be finished in time to get home and watch Danci-" she paused, suddenly very aware of the eyes watching her. "I mean, that fascinating documentary about jet engineering."

"Right," Maxine said, unable to hide a smile as she pulls Paula up against her side.

"Why don’t we split up," Paula suggested. "You could get the cards, we’ll collect the bears."

"Have you seen how bad the swarms are?" Janine said, shrugging out from beneath Simon’s arm. "We’ll never find each other again."

Who knew Janine would find Christmas shopping so stressful? 

"We already lost Jody," Simon replied, "she went off to get yarn an hour ago. Haven’t heard from her since."

Janine looked aghast at that news. Simon rolled his eyes at Maxine and grabbed his girlfriend’s hand, pulling her away towards a rack of stuffed animals to be made up. Janine honestly didn’t look to be that reluctant.

"Jack, I don’t think ‘one for the kids, one for me’ is really feasible," Eugene’s voice came from behind a rack.

"But Eugene, it’s a koala! I love koalas!"

"Yeah but, you love every other animal here too!"

"Well, they’re all really cute and fluffy and look at his little boots!"

"No, Jack."

"But look," Jack’s voice took on that wheedling tone and Maxine pressed her face against Paula’s shoulder to stifle her giggles.

Eugene heaved a hefty sigh. “Alright! Fine! One bear!”

"Eugene! You are the best boyfriend ever."

"Dummy."

Paula went still against Maxine’s side and Maxine peeked up at her. “What is it?”

"Quick," Paula said, pulling her away and up behind the cabinet of recorded bear growls and noises. "Sorry, my boss is here."

 

Maxine grimaced, and helped Paula look very engrossed in choosing exactly the right noise to put inside a stuffed toy, until Paula’s boss had left, carrying an admittedly rather adorable stuffed bunny.

"I didbn’t realise your boss had a kid."

"He doesn’t," Paula says, watching until he’s safely out of sight. "That is a truly bizarre image though."

Maxine shook her head, pressing a voicebox into Paula’s hand. She squeezed it and the sound came out, rather goofily with ‘I love you’.

"Sap," Paula said, giving a slow smile.

"Every time," Maxine replied.

Eventually they made it to the food court, y’know, once they’d dragged Sam away from trying every single voicebox there was, and once Eugene had managed to wrangle Jack down to just the koala and a toy dog (the kitten had been a close thing), and once Janine had insisted long enough that the stuffed tiger she was carrying under her arm was absolutely for the children. Of course it was. What a ridiculous idea that it would be for her.

The food court was predictably crowded, but salvation came in the form of Sara who had claimed a table along with Jody and her glare was apparently enough to keep anyone else from trying to sit down.

"What took you so long?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow at them when they arrived. Her own purchases were set neatly at her side.

"We are completely on schedule, Ms. Smith," Janine said huffily as she sat down with her carton of sweet and sour chicken.

"Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m all finished," Sara replied with a smirk. 

"What? How?"

"Oh, I have my ways," she replied, smirking slightly.

"Don’t ask," Jody said earnestly. "I have seen her ways. You don’t want to know."

"Oh come now Jody, am I really that bad," Sara asked, leaning a little closer to steal a brief kiss from Jody who gave a token protest before kissing back, one hand curving against the back of Sara’s neck.

Sam leaned close to Maxine to whisper to her. “Are we sure that her ways don’t involve blackmail and murder?”

"I’m not sure I care if she managed to get Christmas shopping done so quickly," Maxine whispered back. "I might ask for tips."

"Great, just what we need. Shopping ninjas."


End file.
